Automatic piano-player.



- H. S. HOR NBECK.

AUTOMATIC PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 14, 1913.

1,168,396. Patented Jan.18,1916.

-3 SHEETS-SHEET I- MIIITIVESQSES: INVENTOR fi? BY H. s. HORNBECK.

AUTOMATIC PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATION men FEB.14. 1913.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- WITNESSES: I W jyg/nvmvroh v Bf Q W/W,

THE COLUMBlA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

H. S. HORNBECK.

AUTOMATIC PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 14. 1913.

1,168,396, I Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

194114 cooea:

THE COLUMBIA PLM lnGRAPn co.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

"1T0 aZZ whom it mag concern; 1 Beitjknown that I, Huigm Si .HbR;t-;BECJ,-

a citizen of the United. Statesyresiding in Elizabeth, Union-county, State.- of New J sex, have invented certain-11km v33116.1. use lmprovementsin Automati'cv PiagnOJElay s5.

' IiEN'BiI $.11i163NiiECii. on iiiiizliieu'f ASSIGNDR. so venomous.

COMPANY, on-nLizABETEi KSEjgA conros immui. OFNEW JERSEY.,

of which the following is. a, specification,

reference being had to. the

drawings, which form apart. hereof; This invention has for its, ob ect, to pro:

. vide improved devices for producing the.-

niatic efi'ects underthe control of the musicsheet, and especially for, the production-pf such thematic effects in pneumatic. players under the control-of side perforations-oftlie music. sheet,- that is, of. special. perforations in the music sheet which are.- placed sodas to i jln ot ofthe emtediimeints 1 .tion shown-and: described herein. the;

produce the thematic effects automatically.

One embodiment. of theinveution ex.-

plained hereinafter. is, designed with especialreference to its use; with perforatedniusic sheets in, which the perforations for the the matic tones are cut slightly behind the Leifora-tions for the accompaniment toncsw g the side perforations determine the. oper:

ation of the improved thematic of 5010 devices.

Anotheremhodiment of the invention; also explained hereinafter, is, specially rdesignecl for use With perforatedtmusic sheets. which the perforations for. the thematic tones are not necessarily cut, behindthe per foration-s for accompaniment tones; but'each thematic device is controlled hyaseparate side, perforation and itself. c n res a group. of player neumatics suifimently, small to germditproper thematic effects to be. pro, uce

of the, lever through which eachplayet p .raatie acts. uponthe corresponding ham 1- of the striking pneumatic transmitted to the tone producing device; The provision of a yielding fulcrum for-the-lever through vvhich more or less of the energy of thestriking;. pn.eumatic is transmitted tothe tondjprodee s time o m h he s eiixe tl el: au-

,ottone producin device is. yielding and, or theproduction o' accompanimenttonesgnore or less of the energy of the striking page maticis absorbed by thespringwhich yield- 'AtiicirrtmrmiimirAhi-it.

1'; S peciiicalihitof LettersPaten-tfl an, 18, .'A iietioiimd'uebm ry 14 191;; ,seriei uo. 748,342.

plication in-vahiehthe devicesforpreventing or limiting theyfield of. the fulerumare shown manila ycontrolled. The proviision of; a yielding fulcrum, istlierefore not d; the present case, but: astheyielding fulcrum is; con.- eerned, thecombination of the. yielding fulcrum with, devices; whereby the yielding of the fulcrum is prevented or; controlled; automatically-from, the music'sheet. p a

a The invention Will he more fully explained he eia f w h. r feren e o h company ngdra vin'gisin Which it is; illustrated and w m liigurel is a view in sectionalelevation of so of, automatic piano-"playing mechamsm as is necessary toenable the y i vention to be. understood, the thematic die vices being designed ithespecialreference totheit use in connection withm-usie, sheets wh ch have not. only. side. perforations. for conttoloj the thematic devices b t thematic pertorations cut slightly behind. the accorn panifment perforations, Fig.v 2 is, a view ofthe 'same, in fronteleva-tion. Fig. 3v is a .v ev v sl nilar to Fig. 2 but; showing the. the} mati-cdevices designed for use in connection With music sheets which have side perforations for the control oftheythematic devices but have, not; the thematic perforations out in advance of. the accompanimen P rforations Fig. tis detail vietv in sectional elevation of the embodiment ofthe invention shown Fig. Figs. 5 and 6am detail vievvs s'eotional and front-elevation rcjr' spectrvelyof aporti'on, of. the solo devices n; In Figs. land 2.: Figs. .7: '8. are

- detail views illustrating part cularly the dc..- ,viecs, b.y ,enahledto out-relv the production of; ester- 1 theflrscendo; lever; is also tude. y p i nve tron shown in Figs... 1, 2, 5,; 6, 7' an h men 41, arranged 1nsuitable;proxz" 1: x first. to the embodiment; i th to he eorreSPouding pianostring: at,

is: actu ted through the usualaction parts utter; is shown as; having alug at whi h upon the lever 6 throu h which the.

oi the player pneumatic. is trans:-

indicated. at a3 frungt-hegusual'ahstract as. "7 E vented from yielding and the entireenergy I 1.0

, player; Pneumatic zawhifihi in; tum is: con 1110 c as usual.

trolled, through the usual primary or con trolling valve indicated at C and the air duct "0, from the usual tracker board (Z and the perforated music sheet 6. The fulcrum b of the lever b is yieldingly supported and is shown, in this instance, as carried by a lever which has afiXBCl'fLll-z crum 7 at one end and at the other end is yieldingly supported by a suitable spring f Obviousl if the fulcrum b of the lever bis permitted to yield without restraint, except that of the spring F, the energy of the striking pneumatic will be largely absorbed by the spring 7 and the hammer a will be actuated with a minimum of force, so that a very'soft tone will be produced. It will also be obvious that if theyielding ofthe-fulcrum of the-lever b is prevented altogetheror is limited more or less the energy of the strlking pneumatic will be communicated in whole or in part to the hammer or tone producing device and the tone produced will be loud or moderated more or less as the case may be. For ordinary crescendo effects, in which the dynamic force of all tones which may be produced is increased or diminished at will, the yielding of the fulcra of all of the levers 7" may be limited more or less by the crescendo bar.

9 which is carried by arms 9' from a rock shaft 9 A controlling lever g is connectedto the rock shaft so that by hand the position of the crescendo bar 9 may be varied to limit more or less the movement of the lever f and therefore the yielding of all of the fulcra 5, thereby modifying more or less the force of the blows struck by the hammers a. i

For the production of solo or thematic effects the music sheet 6 is cut with accompaniment perforations c, with solo perforations e'-slightly behind the accompaniment perforations, and with side perforations 0 which determine the operation of the solo or thematic devices, the said perforations 6 being cut slightly behind the accompaniment perforations 6 but slightly in advance of the solo'perforations c The solo and accompaniment perforations control the action of the player pneumatics or striking penumatics 0 through the air ducts Each side perforation, in the construction now under consideration, controls means which prevent the yielding of the fulcra of the transmitting levers b of the upper half of the scale or the lower half of the scale, as the case may be. In the arrangement shown each side perforation 0 controls, through an air duct 7i and a primary or valve ii, a pneumatic 2' which actuates the solo stop hereinafter referred to. For this purpose an arm a" secured to the movable member of the pneumatic'z' is connected by a link z' with an arm i which is secured to the solo stop is, so that when the pneumatic z is collapsed, under the control of the corresponding s de perforations e,

.the solo stop is, which normally stands clear of the'path of movement of the levers f, is moved into such path of movement so as to prevent the movement and therefore to prevent the yielding of the fulcra of the levers b. The solo stop is held in its normal position by the tension of the usual spring of the pneumatic i and is shown (see particularly Figs. 5 and 6) as hinged, as at to a board or bracket m which is suitably supported. Obviously it may happen that the solo stop is moved from its normal position while some of the levers f are depressed and in order that the proper movement of the solo stop may not be prevented under such circumstances. the solo stop is composed of a bar 70 to which the arm 2' may be secured, and a series of felt blocks 70 one for each lever f. Each block 70 is hinged upon a bar is" as shown at 70, but oppositely with respect to the hinging of the bar 70 and is held yieldingly in its normal position by a flat spring 70 It will be seen that if the solo stop is moved toward the levers 7 when any of the levers is depressed, the corresponding block 73 will yield so as to permit 'been'depressed are released the corresponding blocks 70 will also swing forward under the ends of such levers as have been depressed and released.

It will now be seen that all accompaniment tones, being produced slightly in advance of solo tones, even of the same chord, are produced with amore or less moderated force, in dependence upon the position of the crescendo bar 9, and that the solo tones in one half of the scale or in the other half, as determined by the side perforations 6 which uncover the ducts in the tracker board before the action of the devices which produce the solo tones is begun, are produced with the full force determined by the tension of the air in the player pneumatics of that half of the scale, for the levers 7 which correspond to the solo perforations will be locked against yielding by the correspondas shown at g in Figs. 7 and 8, and is ar ranged to bear against a spring pressed bar g which is connected by guide rods g with a bar 9 The lattercarrles a valve g which inert-man rovers" ports g o'f 'ducts 19 i The ducts 9 are connected withtheilucts "lzl which connect the valves h with the ports of: the tr-aclrergbar which correspend t'othe side perforations -e ,-so that by a lateral movement of the handle g? 5 bot-h pneumatics can be collapsecl atI-once and' both solo stops thus placed "ifr'the path-of movement of the levers f of both halves of the scale,

the'reby producing'a sfo-rzan'd'o.

- The embodiment of the invention'shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is designed for use with a music sheet e-in which the solo perforations e are cut to the same line with the accompaniment perforations e and the side per forations e are cut slightly in advance of the line. The tracker boardd, in this em bodiment of the invention, is provided at each end with a series of ports d each of which is connected, by a corresponding air duct 72, through acorresponding valve h with a pneumatic i which controls a small group of levers 7" which as before, are supportedby springs f and carry the fulcra b of the transmitting levers I) through which the player pneumatics c actuate the tone promatic effects are produced wholly by the ducing devices. Each group of levers f controlled by the corresponding pneumatic is so small that proper thematic effects can be produced by the operation of one or another of the pneumatics 2' Each pneumatic 5 controls, substantially in the same manner as before, a corresponding solo stop 70 which may be constructed and arranged as already described. In this embodiment of the invention, the operation of which will be understood without further explanation, the the side perforations without regard to the cutting of the solo perforations in the music sheet and Wholly under the control of the side perforations which must be specially cut.

Other embodiments of the invention will readily suggest themselves and it'will be understood that the details of construction herein shown and described may be varied more or less to suit different styles of play ers and different requirements of use without departing from the spirit of the invention. p H v I I m as my 1nvent1on: g I 1. In a mus cal instrument, the combination of a series of playing devices having limiting each the each a lever with a movable fulcrum adapted to yield bodily during the playing movement, and a series of automatic devices for yielding of a portion of such fulcra.

2. In a musical instrument, thecombinae tion of a series of playing devices having each a lever with a yielding, spring suspended fulcrum, and a series of automatic devices for limiting each the. yielding of a portion of such fulcra.

In a musical instrument, the'combination of a seriesof playing devices having each-a yielding fulcrum, automatic devices for controlling the movement of theyielding fulcra, :and'independent manually operated devices forlimiting in different degree'sthe yielding of-the fulcra when they-are permittedfb x the automatic devicesto yield.

4. In a pneumatic piano player, the combination of a playin'g mechanismincluding a series of levers having each a bodily movable fulcrum, a series of devices for limiting each the movement of a portion of the fulera, and a series of automatically controlled .pneumatics for actuating said devices sevcontrolled pneumaticfor actuating said do 7 vices, and independent,-manually operated means for limiting in different degrees the yielding of all of the several fulcra when theyrare permitted by said last named dcvices to yield. 7

7. In a pneumatic piano player, the com-- bination of a seriesof playing devices, havmg each a lever with a yielding fulcrum,

' devices for limiting the yielding of the several fulcra, a pneumatic for actuating said devices, a valve for controlling said pneumatic, independent means for limiting in different degrees the movement of the several fulcra, and a common handle operatively disposed with respect to said last named means and said valve and movable in different directions for controlling the same.

8. In apneumatic piano player, the combination of tone producing devices, player pneumatics, transmitting means between the 'player' 'pneumatics and the tone producing devices including each a lever and a spring suspended fulcrum therefor, a movable stop to control the yielding fulcra, a pneumatic to control the position of said stop, and a tracker board having ports and connections to said player pneumatics and a port and connection tosaid last named pneumatic.

9. In a pneumatic piano player, the combination of tone producing devices, player pneumatics, transmitting means between the player pneumatics and the-tone producing devices mcluding each a lever and a spring suspended fulcrum therefor, a movable stop ment of said fulcra when they are permitted to control the yielding fulcra, a pneuby said stop to yield. matic to control the position of said stop, a This specification signed and witnessed tracker hoard having ports and connections this eighth day of February, A. D. 1913.

to said player pneumatics and a port and HENRY S. HORWBECK. connection to said last named pneumatic, Signed in the presence of and independent, manually controlled means ALBERT F. BENDER,

for limiting in different degrees the move- EDWARD P. MOLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0. i 7 

